Getting Started - Learning the ropes
Curious if anyone is in the NE region that races SCCA, Vintage Racing or FRP and if there is someone I could connect with? I'd like to help for a day or weekend next season if that's possible to learn as much as I can about FC because It's a class I'm interested in. NJMP/Pocono would be the closest for me.
I do attend most of the SCCA MARS summit point race weekends helping out people I know in SSM/ITS.
Getting started FC
There is a GLC Series race running in conjunction with the SCCA regional Aug. 24-25 at PittRace. I'm sure there will be FC and CFC people willing to answer questions. Not all will be from the NE, but this would be a good time to ask questions.Originally Posted by nathanhbach
Unfortunately I'll be away on vacation that weekend.
My initial questions would be if there is enough competition in SCCA (Super Tour, Majors, Runoffs ect.) or Vintage racing to make it worth doing or if I should go down the FRP route once I have a few seasons under my belt?
I'd be looking at a 90's Van Diemen pinto powered and was also wondering if that would be a car I could use for awhile and still find parts for in 5+ years. Not looking to purchase a right now, but potentially in 2025.
Last edited by nathanhbach; 08.13.24 at 11:36 AM.
FRP will be at Summit this weekend.
Ian Macpherson
Savannah, GA
Race prep, support, and engineering.
Nathan,
We are around the same age, and I've been around this for quiet a while. So maybe, my opinion will resonate better with you than someone else who is older.
I don't mean to offend anyone but this is just my opinion and the way I see it:
#1 Most club racers (probably 95%), have not come anywhere close to achieving mastery over their vehicle.
#2 Larger classes filled with anywhere between 30-50+ cars contain a lot of "true amateur" drivers. Classes like SRF3 have maybe around 5 guys at a well attended Hoosier Super Tour weekend, that I would consider to be pretty good.
#3 Classes like SRF3 and SM are cars I consider to be low performance cars. They are good for people who want to get into racing easily, and turn laps, but that is about it.
#4 While considered low-powered Formula cars, both FF1600 and F2000/Formula Continental are high-performance race cars. They are so fun to drive. Even to drive 2-3 seconds off the pace is a challenge for most (that have been doing it for years).
In terms of competition, their is a lot of car owners but you will have to hit the right events. The FC group has been trying to organize races together, at events with higher levels of attendance - you'll be lucky to see 12-15 FC cars.
Although, I strongly believe you will have much more of a challenge trying to drive a FF/FC to the best of your ability - even if you are just doing laps by yourself, than to race in a 50-car SM or SRF3 field at a SuperTour/Major event.
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I started in karts, and have raced FF1600, on and off, for the last 6 years. I'm still working mastering the car/class, and I have a long way to go before I can say that I have learned/mastered everything, to the point that I can't possibly get any better.
I would even go as far to say that a lot of the people who have won championships and moved on to bigger and better things, still had a lot more they could have learned at the FF1600 / F2000 level. These are things that they never learned, or had to learn is another series/class that cost upwards of $500,000 per season....
If you watch professional racing: F1, Indycar, Endurance racing, etc. I see quiet a few driver's making basic mistakes through out the weekend, these are things that you would expect them to learn at a club level. It's kind of like NBA players who can't make free-throws, or NFL kickers who miss the field goal...
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My points, 1-4, are to give you the perspective that your first level of competition is just driving the car (FF1600/FC) itself. ("It ain't no walk in the park")
Other club classes cannot offer this level of difficulty.
You can also look into an FE2, they do similar lap times to a FC, but way differently. If an FE2 does 93 mph in a corner, a FC can do 105mph. Where the FE2 makes up their time, is on the straight. I have never driven an FE2 before, but I can't imagine them to be to fun in the corner when compared to an FC.
A FF1600 will be slower in the highspeed corners than an FE2, but faster in the slow corners. Though my gut tells me that the balance of a FF1600 car will make it way more enjoyable to drive.
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Keep doing what your doing, meet people, hang around the track, and form your own opinion before making your decision.
There is a lot of "internet guys" on here (well we are on the web), that will make this racing thing sound like a total mess. It's just like the typical "end of the world/drama" stuff you'll see on any forum or social media platform.
Please don't form your opinion based on anything you read on the internet...
You need to purchase 99 or newer Van-Diemen, they have the best parts supply of all the manufactures.
I sent you a Facebook message, we can talk if you want.
Best of Luck
Jonathan
Well explained and spoken Jonathan.
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